


Worth a Thousand Words

by peacemonger98



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Deaf Hinata au, Hearing aids (maybe even losing them), M/M, Slow Burn, i think, lots of sign language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-06-04 01:20:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6635224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacemonger98/pseuds/peacemonger98
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few things happened at once. The other eager first year yelled to the smaller boy to duck, to which he did not respond, the setter gasped, all the other players in the gym lunged toward the projectile's target in a futile attempt to stop it, and Hinata finally found his water bottle. His brief moment of victory did not last, though, as the ball slammed into the back of his head. Time stopped for one second, two, then the present came crashing down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Spark

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO ERRBODY this is my very first time writing a fic and subsequently publishing so uh HAVE MERCY. I am weak for deaf hinatas and grumpy kags so that's what I'm giving you today. With my schedule I don't know how updates are gonna go, probably sparatic and random.

It all began when a little volleyball obsessed crow forgot his common sense. Again. Eager to see the grown up, high school team (with real players! Uwah!) he'd run too fast for his poor friend to keep up. Which landed him in the gym today, with three other first years, one of which was just as eager to see a real game and better at hiding it. 

Hinata ran into the gym alarmingly fast, just in time to see an ethereal silver-haired player set to another buff, dark-haired player. He'd already changed into his gym clothes, so he turned around to set his bag down on the bench. Unbeknownst to him, as he was searching for his water bottle, the buff player was spiking another ball from the ethereal setter, and it was headed straight for his head.

A few things happened at once. The other eager first year yelled to the smaller boy to duck, to which he did not respond, the setter gasped, all the other players in the gym lunged toward the projectile's target in a futile attempt to stop it, and Hinata finally found his water bottle. His brief moment of victory did not last, though, as the ball slammed into the back of his head. Time stopped for one second, two, then the present came crashing down.

Hinata let out a whiny moan and pouted while he clutched the back of his head. The buff spiker and silver haired setter ran over and the latter immediately started fretting over the younger boy and checking for any serious injury. The other eager first year, however, stomped over to Hinata and began yelling. 

When Hinata turned away from the ash blonde setter his eyes found and locked onto a gorgeous, tall figure looming over him. He saw a jawline that could cut glass, brilliant blue eyes, a regal nose and perfect thin lips. Hinata knew he should be paying closer attention to what those lips were saying, so he tuned out his internal train of thought looping holy crap he's hot holy crap he's talking to me holy crap- and focused.

What he could catch was, "Oi...dumbass...didn't...turn around? What are you...stupid!" For a second, Hinata just stood there in shock. Then realization hit him. This hot guy is an absolute ass. At that, he bristled and began yelling right back at the dark haired setter. As soon as the first sentence left his mouth, though, everyone stopped moving. They all looked at Hinata strangely as if what he'd said was in a completely different language.

Hinata stared right back at his aggressor, gaze hardening when he asked, "What the hell is wrong with your voice?" Just as he opened his mouth to answer he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Sitting underneath the bench were two pieces of plastic with small volleyball stickers on them. Hinata stopped staring at dark-haired-hot guy to fully stare at the small items. He felt in his ears to discover what he was suspected. His hearing aids had fallen out when he got hit by the volleyball.

He broke away from the small group that had formed around him to pick up those little pieces of plastic that meant so much more to him, put them in his ears and clicked them on. Everyone around them had the same realization at that moment: This kid is deaf. When Hinata looked back up at the tall first year, he noticed his face was bright red and he was now looking down at his shoes. Then the silver haired setter popped up in his line of sight. 

In very exaggerated lip motions, he said "Are you okay? Were you hurt?" Hinata chuckled a little at that and smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and nodding tentatively. 

"I'm Hinata. Hinata Shoyou!" he said in slightly garbled Japanese, "And, yes. I'm deaf." He said this while looking straight at the dark-haired boy. He looked up, meeting Hinata's eyes for a second, then turned and walked briskly away from the group.

As soon as the broody setter walked away, Hinata's best friend barged into the gym, looking around frantically and breathing heavily. She looked over to the group huddled by the bench and practically screamed "Hinataaaaaa!!!" as she ran over full speed and nearly tackled him to the ground with her hug. When she pulled away, she started signing faster than the orange haired boy had ever seen her sign before. You can't just run off like that Hinata, you know I can't keep up!! What if you fell down a hole or crashed into a wall or got kidnapped by the yakuza or- 

Hinata reached up and grabbed his friend's hands. "Yacchan, I'm fine! Nothing bad happened!" he said in the calmest voice he could muster without laughing. The silver-haired setter then gently tapped Yachi on the shoulder. She jumped ten feet in the air and whipped around to face him. 

He spoke gently, with perhaps a hint of laughter. "Are you Hinata-kun's interpreter?" Her hair shook as she nodded violently. "Can you tell him my name is Suga and that I'm very sorry my usually reliable spiker, Daichi, spiked the ball into his head?" He asked this with a small smile and a not so gentle punch to said spiker's shoulder, who shot a weak glare at Suga. Yachi nodded again, though not as violent as the first time and with a hint of a smile on her face. 

She signed this to Hinata then smacked his shoulder, presumably payback for both running off without her and getting hurt in the process. With that, a now sheepish looking Daichi and  
Suga bowed deeply to the short first year and said they were very sorry for hurting him, which a flustered Yachi interpreted to said first year with slightly shaky hands. 

When they stood back up again, Hinata was red faced and jumpy, clearly uncomfortable with two older boys showing such respect and regret. His lips curled into small smile, though, when Suga sent a sorry smile his way. He signed to Yachi, Can we all just go on with tryouts now? Which she diligently interpreted for the captain and vice captain of the team. 

Daichi smiled warmly and patted Hinata roughly on the back as he led the shorter boy to the court. Hinata signed to Yachi that he would be fine on his own reading lips. Yachi told him that she'd be right there on the bench if he needed her. He nodded and smiled his brightest smile and Yachi finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled back. She sat down and watched the rest unfold.

The tall, broody hot guy came back and was promptly stared down by Hinata. Daichi informed him of his name and volleyball position, to which Hinata simply nodded and sat down with the rest of the newbies. Daichi explained how tryouts would go for them all, telling them what drills they'd be running to see what kind of talent they were working with.

When the drills began, though, the pressure set in. Everyone silently expected Hinata to be not as good as the other prospective players, despite how awful they felt for thinking it. Quite the opposite was true. The little ball of energy blew them all away with his determination and stamina. No matter how many receives he botched or laps he had to run as penalty, he kept going with more energy than before. His only competition throughout the whole ordeal was Kageyama, keeping his energy up out of sheer need to stay on top. The duo competed on every drill given by their superiors.

When the tryouts came to an end, nobody was more exhausted than Kageyama and Hinata. But, Hinata kept his eyes on the captain. He read every word that fell from his lips and jumped higher than he ever had when he read that he was on the team. (He would have hugged Yachi but he sent her home after he knew he'd be there late.) Kageyama allowed himself a small smile at also being accepted.

The other two first years, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima as Hinata learned, were happy but muted in their excitement. Tsukishima was pissed at Hinata for being...well, himself. And Yamaguchi was dead tired. He'd never run drills like that before.

Before long, everyone had changed into their everyday clothes and were heading home. But before Hinata could board his bike and ride back to his home, Kageyama grabbed him by the arm. Hinata allowed himself to be turned around and stared at the stunning taller boy. 

Kageyama scrunched his eyes shut and bowed his head, muttering a quick but sincere, "I'm sorry." Hinata could see that the other boy had said something, but his bowed head made it impossible to read his lips. He reached across the gap between them and tapped Kageyama's chin. When he looked up in surprise, Hinata quickly retracted his hand, blushing, but pointed to his own lips and tapped them. 

Kageyema seemed to understand and quickly muttered the apology again, then turned away and down. Hinata would be lying if he said that that was what he was expecting. He felt his neck and cheeks heat up then quickly shook his head. He understood why Kageyama was angry at him but could understand the confusion. He'd definitely dealt with worse people.

After a few dead seconds, Kageyama looked up and saw a very flushed Hinata. As soon as their eyes met, though, they both sputtered and looked away again, Hinata muttering that he'd see Kageyama tomorrow and Kageyama simply nodding in response. 

At that, Hinata rode away on his bike and mentally kicked himself for being such a spaz in front of such a specimen. The ride seemed even shorter than normal and he crashed as soon as his head hit his pillow once he was back home. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, Kageyama was across the town, sitting awake and thinking of bright orange hair and volleyball hearing aids.


	2. The Ember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama practiced until he saw the sun peaking over the horizon, his nimble and precise setter's fingers ever so slowly adjusting to the new movements and positions. He only tore his eyes away from his laptop screen when he was fully confident in his ability to hold a basic conversation with the spiker he'd met only yesterday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY HERES THE DRILL I will be posting a new chapter every week (on Sat or Sun) and I will do everything in my power to keep that consistent. This was a bit of a lead-in for the next chapter so stay tuned for that. Pretty sure each chapter here on out is going to be about 2-3k words.

Kageyema's sleepless night was not entirely unproductive. He couldn't stop thinking about the little ball of sunshine that is Hinata and his deafness. Kageyema knew he'd made a seriously dickish move and knew he had to make up for it. Despite Hinata assuring him everything was okay, Kageyama wanted to make sure Hinata felt his regret.

So, he got to it. He went to every website he could get his hands on that featured sign language. He watched videos and read about deaf culture. He even found some very obscure sites that had the names for all the positions in volleyball.

Kageyama practiced until he saw the sun peaking over the horizon, his nimble and precise setter's fingers ever so slowly adjusting to the new movements and positions. He only tore his eyes away from his laptop screen when he was fully confident in his ability to hold a basic conversation with the spiker he'd met only yesterday.

Exhausted but invigorated, Kageyama rode to school on his bike at record speed, eager to show off his new skill. When he rode up to the gym, however, he didn't hear the sweet sound of nothing he came to know so well these early mornings.

He peaked his head in the door and saw a completely new sight. He saw Hinata serving ball after ball, only a few serves making it inbound and with good technique. When he looked at the young spiker's face, he almost gasped. Hinata's eyes were bright with the fiercest energy he'd ever seen in a player on the court. He saw a mouth firmly closed in defiance of a mind that wanted so badly to cry out in frustration. Then, Hinata turned his head just enough to see Kageyama.

That bright light changed quickly from ferocity to contempt to recognition and, finally, muted joy. Hinata smiled tentatively and waved to his new teammate. Kageyama stepped fully into the gym on shaky feet and brought his hands up, ready to sign.

_Hey look! I learned some of your language, teach me more! I'm sorry for what I said yesterday, I had no idea who you were or what happened._ All this tingled on the tips of Kageyama's fingers, but the movements to convey these thoughts didn't happen. Instead, all he managed to sign haltingly was, _Good morning_.

At seeing this, though, Hinata's face lit up like a Christmas tree. His smile changed from embarrassed and shy to unabashedly ecstatic. He ran over to Kageyama and stopped right in front of him, signing like a maniac. Kageyama caught maybe every fifth word. _You...and...really...cool...believe..._

Hinata quickly stopped, though, when he saw the look on Kageyama's face. His focus on translating Hinata's rapid movements into words had turned his neutral expression into an intense scowl. The shorter boy shrunk back, becoming even shorter if at all possible. Kageyama quickly raised his hands and attempted to sign _I'm not good at this yet_ , which came out as _I mom remember this butt._

Kageyama mentally kicked himself. He'd spent his entire night researching and teaching himself and he ended up screwing up almost every sign in a very basic sentence. Hinata had become well versed in reading facial expressions and body language, though, because he shot Kageyama a pitiful smile and ceased his rapid fire signing.

The taller boy breathed a sigh of relief and gestured toward the locker room with his thumb, sighing again as Hinata simply nodded and smiled In understanding. He went back to practicing his serves and a flustered Kageyama went to change.

The more he practiced, the worse his serves got, though. Right when he'd fallen into a comfortable yet slightly strenuous rhythm, the tall hotty had to walk in and ruin it all. How could one expect Hinata to focus on the ball when he'd just seen a beautiful Adonis attempting and horrifically failing to sign to him? This guy had only known him a day and yet, here he was, building bridges and extending hands...beautiful hands.

Hinata's train of thought was broken when he felt a thump on the court and looked up to see a very intense-looking shirtless guy with a shaved head running towards him. He immediately squeezed his eyes shut held up the volleyball he was holding to protect himself from whoever this crazy guy was.

He was surprised to feel no impact of this guy slamming into him, but instead the ball being ripped from his grasp. Hinata figured the guy must have been yelling or something because, when he pealed his eyes open and looked up, he was looking very confused. Hinata was too frightened to annunciate well, but when he muttered a weak, "I'm deaf," the reaction wasn't what he expected.

The crazy guy's face relaxed from its murderous but confused glare and his posture shifted to that of a very suave and confident gentlemen. _So, you're the new deaf kid, huh?_ he signed calmly. Hinata nodded quickly, once. The crazy guy smiled in what Hinata thought was meant to be comforting, but ended up being sort of malicious. _My sister's hard of hearing and taught me the language. You just rely on me from now on, alright? I'll be your reliable senpai!_

Hinata brightened considerably and nodded vigorously. He quickly signed _Yes, senpai!!_ and the guy laughed loud enough that Hinata felt it vibrate through his chest. He signed it again and the guy laughed even louder, both hands on his hips in a position of power and confidence.

_My name is Tanaka Ryuunosuke and you better remember it!_

Hinata nodded again and smiled as big and bright as he could physically manage when Tanaka's face froze and his laughing ceased. Confused, Hinata looked around. He'd had many experiences in the past where some noise affected a person that he couldn't hear.

When he leaned to look around Tanaka, he found the source of his fright: a very pissed off Daichi. Hinata immediately reached into his gym short pockets and shoved his hearing aids in. Not that they would help much, but at least then he could faintly hear if any yelling or loud noises happened.

He didn't hear any loud noises, though, and that scared him more. He watched Daichi slowly walk toward Tanaka, who was looking more and more like a victim turned to stone by Medusa. He didn't read his lips, but focused on his facial expression. It was as if the captain had a massive thunderstorm rumbling right behind him, and it's lightning was about to strike Tanaka.

The captain stopped right behind Tanaka, an inch away from the back of his neck. Whatever his last statement was left Tanaka shuddering and quickly darting into the locker room.

Daichi then looked at Hinata and his disposition completely changed. The thunderstorms dissipated and a warm sunny day was left in its wake as Daichi smiled, if a bit awkwardly. "Good morning Hinata," he said slowly. Hinata internally sighed. Almost every person new to his deafness did this at the start. They don't know how to react, so they annunciate and over exaggerate every syllable.

He had accepted his lot in life long ago, so now he just needed to teach a new person. A new team of persons, actually.

He smiled back at Daichi and braced himself. "You don't have to do that. Nobody talks like that in everyday life. If you just look at me when you're talking and speak clearly, I'll be fine. Um, Captain!" At this, Hinata blushed brightly and bowed deeply. Daichi tapped his shoulder quickly, though, and he stood up.

"Um, I'm sorry. I'm just new to this. Have a little patience with me and I will adjust fairly quickly. Let me know if me or Suga can help in any way," he said, rubbing the back of his head in a rare show of embarrassment. A light blush was coloring his own cheeks and it only intensified when Hinata exclaimed, louder than necessary,

"Yes, Captain Sawamura-san!"

Daichi quickly hushed him, telling him that just Daichi was fine, to which Hinata nodded vigorously and stood straight at attention.

Just then, Suga came in, along with a few others that Hinata didn't recognize. Daichi introduced them all to him and Hinata watched his lips intently, only breaking to look away when Daichi gestured toward someone.

He introduced Nishinoya Yuu, their prized libero with a fiery temperament, Narita, Ennoshita and Kinoshita, the team's calmest players, Azumane Asahi, the gentle giant and Karasuno's ace, and the manager of the team, Shimizu Kiyoko. Hinata made a mental note to introduce the manager to Yachi.

Hinata watched the players interact with each other for a moment. He watched as Suga smiled just a little wider at seeing Daichi, and how the captain's sunny disposition brightened at recognizing Suga. Tanaka emerged from the locker room with a shirt on and Hinata watched his rambunctious smile turn to a gentle one for just a second when he saw Ennoshita. Hinata watched in awe as the little spitfire libero managed to intimidate a guy more than twice his size. He saw Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, late to practice, skirt around the outside of the rambunctious group, not wanting to be included or interfere.

Just then, Kageyama walked in and the captain began practice. The team sat down on the side of the court as Daichi explained what his plan was to feel out the new members. More than once he turned his back to the group to write on the white board, then whipped around and made awkward eye contact with Hinata, who just squirmed and smiled. He knew this was going to be painful.

To say Hinata's transition into the team was seamless would be misrepresentation of events. The struggle was real. Since Hinata was so energetic and loud, most of the team forgot quickly that he couldn't actually hear. Many times they'd call out a play and the small spiker wouldn't follow the call simply because he couldn't.

Tsukishima quickly became a thorn in the redhead's paw, though. He purposefully turned away from Hinata to speak to Yamaguchi and would snicker after he said whatever he said. This only assisted Kageyama and Hinata in growing closer, as the shorter boy would cling to his taller counterpart and beg him to tell him what the blonde butt head said. Kageyama would only ever respond with a smile in his voice and precision in his hands, _Just something stupid._

After Kageyama got over the initial shock of Hinata, all his personal signing lessons got put to use. He and Tanaka served as the chief interpreters for Hinata, though Kageyama became better versed in Hinata's personal signs. Signing within matches became easier and Hinata's eyes became sharper, better at picking up the smallest twitch of a teammate's hands.

One practice in particular was memorable. Hinata was off his game the whole time, his concentration in the gutter and his disposition not as energetic as usual. Though every player on the team understood and had experienced their share of off days, Hinata having one impacted the team more than it should have. Kageyama was sick of Hinata missing his spikes and becoming even more dejected, and Hinata knew.

So, he took out his hearing aids. Normally he used them just to have a light buzz in his ears that oriented him, some white noise in the background, like falling asleep with the TV on. At seeing his teammate's frustration and subsequent inability to effectively tell him, the hearing aids came out. Without the warm comfort of background noise, he'd be forced to place all his attention on the game. After screwing up yet another spike, he decided to screw it. The next time he jumped for one of Kageyama's golden tosses, he closed his eyes and placed all his trust in his setter.

He couldn't hear or see the ball smack down on the other side of the net, but he felt it reverberate through him. He landed and opened his eyes, taking a few steps to situate himself again. Then he felt it. The rumble of the court beneath his feet as the teammates on his side of the net surrounded him and cheered, giving him high fives and pats on the back. Kageyama could only stand back and look at this boy in awe.

The lack of hesitation on Hinata's part took serious trust. He already didn't have a primary volleyball-playing sense. To voluntarily give up another for the sake of a single point mystified the setter.

Karasuno used this to their advantage and effectively created a team of drastically diverse, yet somehow cohesive players. By the time their first match rolled around, the ragtag team was a force to be reckoned with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we have it. Two smitten volleybirbs. Let me know in the comments if I missed anything in editing or if you were confused in any way. CHeck out my tumblr (wolfenshire.tumblr.com) and my ever lovely beta reader's tumblr (queenanimetrash.tumblr.com). Tell me on tumblr or in the comments if you want any element in particular with this au to be included and maybe I will ;)) Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more!!!


	3. The Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter in which competition makes a little birb run into bigger birbs...in the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back! After all the depressing crap I've posted this week, I needed to write something positive! I hope y'all enjoy it. Who knew I could actually write more than 2k words

Hinata would like anyone who might be watching him to know that he is normally a very brave person. He usually doesn't get easily nervous about things. That's what he tell himself anyway. As he runs to the bathroom to throw up.

He kept it together the bus ride to their first official match. Much to everyone's surprise, Hinata kept it together by blasting metal music into very large pair of headphones. When he first put them in and turned them on, every member of the team took their share of time staring at a sleeping (drooling) Hinata and listening to the dull thudding of drums and guitars.

But no amount of old school metal music could soothe Hinata's very frayed nerves. His stomach performed its first flip when Daichi presented him with his very own jersey. That alone was enough to make Hinata a bit jumpy, but he had the number of his idol, which meant that jumpiness upgraded to skittishness.

The prospect of playing against another team frightened Hinata to his very core. He had settled into a little nest with his fellow crows and he was now about to be thrown into the cold, uncomfortable world that is volleyball. Karasuno knew him and didn't give him weird looks when he made little unintelligible noises when he thought or stood in one spot for minutes fiddling with his hearing aids.

Another team wouldn't, couldn't understand him. With all this in mind, his stomach performed flip after flip. He tore off his headphones and exited the bus as quickly as he could. He signed to Kageyama where he was going as he ran by him. What he didn't know was that, as he retracted his hands, Kageyama was reaching out to take them into his own.

He ran past everyone on his way to the men's room. In his rush to get there, though, he failed to notice two very tall competitors walking in after him.

After doing all the business he needed to get done, Hinata stepped out of his stall feeling a bit relieved and much less queasy. As he squeezed soap onto his hands and began to wash them, he finally noticed the bathroom's other occupants.

The tanner companion was handsome. And that's putting it mildly. His hair was spiky and dark, though not as dark as Kageyama's. He had darker eyes than his pretty companion, but there was a bit more fire in them. He had the face of someone who'd been through a war or two, and Hinata had the feeling this other guy was the cause. He didn't look like he meant any ill will towards Hinata, but his impressive biceps begged to differ.

The other one was taller, and drop dead gorgeous. He had eyes darker and dreamier than a pop star's, and his hair was even more beautifully coiffed. His skin was flawless and smooth, paler than Hinata's. He was tall, really tall, and it would be an understatement to say Hinata was intimidated by that. His body was perfect, all lean muscle that could snap to attention in an instant. The scariest, yet somehow most attractive, feature of this guy was his smile. It said to the world, "Go ahead and try to defeat me. I. Will. Win."

Hinata slowly finished washing his hands and turned off the tap water when he realized something. He didn't have his hearing aids in. The warm background buzz wasn't present. He turned around and scanned the floor for any sign of his little lifelines.

His face dropped when he saw where they were lying. One was in a small puddle of water that just seems to collect in bathrooms. The other was under his pale competitor's shoe. _They must have fallen out of my pockets when I was running_ , thought a hopeless Hinata. He cast his eyes up to his opponent's face when he stepped towards him, effectively crushing his hearing aid underneath his sneaker.

Hinata felt furious and despaired at the site of his ruined listening devices, but all that faded to pure fear as he stared at his opponent walk closer to him. His companion stayed back leaning on the stall, effectively ignoring his friend.

Hinata backed up against the sink surface until he was pressed against it and his competition was standing four inches from him. He was simultaneously trying to breathe deeply and quickly, which only resulted in him coughing and breathing even worse than before.

He watched his opponents upwardly curved lips move gracefully with each word he uttered that fell upon (literally) deaf ears. "Oh, look what we have here..a little crow trying to fly back up to the top. I bet this one won't even make it out of the nest." At this, his smile widened, the shine of a razor sharp blade. "A little shorty like you will never make it in the big leagues. Not with true players like me and..." At this he turned his head to look back at his companion and say something else.

When he whipped his head back around to look at Hinata, he continued his speech. "A shrimp will not succeed." He straightened up to his full height and smirked down at Hinata condescendingly. "You'll never beat us."

Just as Hinata opened his mouth to retort something, anything, back to this giant dick, he was shoved aside. In looking back to see who shoved him, his words caught in the back of his throat at the sight of a royally pissed Kageyama standing in his wake.

The tall brunette looked, and Hinata was ashamed to admit this, handsome in his rage. The fury Kageyama was feeling didn't burn on his tongue or his lips, but in his eyes. Hinata could see the shake in Kageyama's fingers as he struggled not to punch his foe.

The foe facing off against his knight, however, was unshaken. His razor sharp smile only sharpened at the sight of Kageyama. There was some recognition in his deep brown eyes as well. So, Hinata's knight in shining armor was fighting for himself as well as his damsel in distress.

In trying to read their lips, he found no luck, as both men were speaking through smiles and grimaces, respectively. He found their body language incredibly interesting, though. Razor Smile seemed more at ease around Kageyama, his posture relaxing and his hands moving in time with his speaking. He looked like he belonged in this position of power.

Kageyama, on the other hand, looked more and more uncomfortable with every passing second. His hands had clenched into fists and were still shaking. His eyes were squinted and his mouth a thin line, all focus devoted to this evidently formidable foe.

His composure broke, though, when he made a violent slashing motion with one of his hands. He then pointed at Hinata and said something else that Hinata assumed was in a riased voice, Kageyama's lips moved slightly more when saying it.

Whatever he said must have shocked the taller player. His eyes widened a bit and his sharp smile dulled for a moment. In this moment, Kageyama finally looked over at Hinata and signed to him without speaking _Are you alright?_

Hinata nodded a little and when he looked back at Razor Smile and his companion, they looked as if they were smacked across the face. Kageyama looked back at them and signed what he said next. "You'll be paying for his hearing aids."

At this the spiky-haired player stepped forward and gripped the back of a still shocked Razor Smile's neck and forced him into a deep bow, matching his own. Kageyama said one last thing then grabbed Hinata's hand to pull him out. On his way out of the bathroom, still firmly gripping Kageyama's hand, he grabbed both of his now ruined hearing aids and put them back in his pockets.

The two held tightly to each other all the way back to where their teammates were.

Questions burned on Hinata's fingertips. _Who were those guys? What did you say to them? Why did you stand up for me?_ But he only managed get out the first one.

Kageyama's response was a simple, finger-spelled _Oikawa and Iwaizumi._ Hinata could tell this was a sensitive topic by the rapidity of Kageyama's signing, so he didn't push it.

When they made it back to their team, they weren't bombarded with questions as they expected. Sugawara simply ushered the rest of the team toward the stands while he pulled aside the two boys along with the captain.

Daichi asked the questions and Kageyama interpreted, more curtly and sharply than usual.

"Where were you?"

_Bathroom._

"Where did your hearing aids go?"

_....my pocket._

"Why aren't you wearing them?"

_Reasons..._

With each question Hinata shrunk down a little bit more. He was sure as hell pissed at Razor Sm- Oikawa for ruining his hearing aids but he wasn't a snitch. Kageyama, however, did not share this sentiment.

"Oikawa Tooru, captain of Aoba Johsai's volleyball team, broke them."

Hinata could see the steam beginning to pour out of Suga's ears, though and he quickly added _One of them fell out when I was running!! It's half my fault!_

This didn't do much to appease the vice captain, though, and it took a minute long talk with Daichi with their backs turned to calm him down.

"I guess you'll just have to play without them. You wouldn't happen to have a spare pair, would you?" Daichi asked. Hinata shook his head ashamedly. "Alright, well I'll tell the rest of the team to be extra communicative today. Just try to focus more than usual, okay?" Hinata nodded.

At that, Daichi sighed, Suga blew another puff of steam out of his ears and Daichi took his hand and led him to the rest of the team sitting in the stands.

Alone, Hinata saw Kageyama deflate. His scowl dropped off his face and was replaced with something much more sad. He looked simultaneously angry with himself and at the world for being so crappy. His shoulders drooped into a slouch and his hands came up, like the first time he signed to Hinata.

Instead of staying idle, though, he turned them both palm up and looked Hinata in the eye when he said, "I'm sorry." Though he couldn't hear the words leave Kageyama's mouth, they reached his ears nonetheless. Hinata shook his head vigorously and waved his hands in front of him in a windshield wiper pattern.

Kageyama only shook his head, though. This time, he muttered his words and signed them. _I should have kept a better eye on you. I should have protected you better. I should have-_

Hinata punched him in the shoulder. Hard. Startled and a bit angry, Kageyama looked up from his hands to Hinata's face to find not gratitude or sympathy, but rage.

_I do not need to be protected!! I am fine on my own! I'm not some fragile little thing that can't live on its own just because I'm deaf!!_ Hinata sharply signed to his companion.

_What would you have done without me then? Were you just going to stand there and let Oikawa push you around?_ Kageyama signed back as quickly as he could.

_No! If you hadn't stepped in, you would've seen me stand up for myself. I don't need you fighting my battles for me!_

_I wasn't fighting your battles Hinata, I was just trying to help. I care about you and-_ Kageyama cut himself off. He turned bright red and his hands ceased their movements.

Hinata turned the color of a tomato as well. He stared at Kageyama with his cheeks puffed out in anger while his eyes told of a different emotion, unreadable to Kageyama.

After a minute of staring at each other, Hinata just signed, with slightly shaky hands _I'm okay on my own...but, thank you._

Kageyama just nodded in response, blue eyes blown out wide. He knew pink was still dusting his cheeks but he couldn't bring himself to care when he could stare at the pink on Hinata's cheeks. He wanted tot reach out and touch those cheeks, that neck, that perfect jaw. He wanted to tell Hinata through touch why he cared.

What he was unaware of was that Hinata wouldn't have minded that at all. He wanted to do the same thing to Kageyama.

This unspoken desire was interrupted by the clearing of a throat. Kageyama turned his head toward the sound and Hinata followed after seeing it.

They didn't expect the sight they saw. Iwaizumi was standing a few feet behind a bowing Oikawa. He straightened up at Hinata's bidding. And had a face that resembled one someone would pull after they bit into a lemon.

"I'm sorry for breaking your aids, chibi-chan. I thought they were earbuds. Here." He said all this like a petulant child and Kageyama interpreted it like one, then Oikawa thrusted a chunk of cash in Hinata's direction. When he didn't move, Oikawa waved the money around in his face and thrust it again into his chest.

Hinata didn't take the money, though. His face calmed and he pushed Oikawa's hand back. _If you really feel sorry, show me on the court. I'll beat you fair and square, without assistance._

Oikawa froze for a moment, then a genuinely excited smile broke out on his face. His eyes lit up with the fire of competition. He nodded his head once then said something to Kageyama too quickly for Hinata to catch, but he did catch the scowl it caused on his friend's face.

Oikawa bowed very slightly once more then skipped away with a grimacing Iwaizumi.

Just then, Ennoshita peaked his head out of the door leading to the stands and called to the boys. Kageyama looked at him and nodded, then grabbed Hinata's hand to take him to join the team.

_Maybe just one more time I'll let him protect me_ , Hinata thought as he let himself be led by Kageyama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that's that. The flame has been kindled. who knows where the story will lead from here? Let me know in the comments if you were confused by anything or if you want me to include anything more in this au that you think would be enjoyable.   
> I have a tumblr (wolfenshire.tumblr.com) if you feel like screaming at me about adorable deaf hinatas   
> My dedicated beta has a tumblr (queenanimetrash.tumblr.com) so show her some love as well


	4. The Kindling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a volleyball match and lots of feelings happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S STILL TECHNICALLY SUNDAY I'M STILL ON TIME DONT JUDGE ME.  
> Also THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE it makes me cry on the daily.   
> Your continued support makes me so happy and i love you all!!11

When Hinata steps out onto the court it takes him a moment to process his surroundings. Instead of his normally racing mind, he has calm thoughts. _Today, I play against Seijou. Today, I will beat them, hearing aids or not._

He focuses his energy on the game ahead of him, on tuning into his teammate's frequencies. He can't afford to slip up, not now.

 

He closes his eyes for a minute, taking in his surroundings. He smells the scent of Air Salonpas and feels the dull thudding of the court beneath his sneakers from spikers landing and liberos practicing flying falls.

 

He opens his eyes. He sees Kageyama an inch away from touching his shoulder. They stand staring at each other for a beat. _Daichi says to start warming up,_ Kageyama signs after a moment. Hinata notices his hands shake ever so slightly. But, he feels helpless to do anything but stand and watch.

 

That doesn't stop him from brushing his fingertips past Kageyama's for a fleeting moment when he walks past him towards the rest of the team on the court. He can feel Kageyama smile at his back.

 

Hinata sits down and begins to stretch, putting more effort into the necessary strain than usual. While he pushes his muscles just a little further, he puts his brain on silent and turns up the volume on his body. He puts his eyes into hyper mode, makes them vigilant enough to catch the slightest hesitation in any of his teammates.

 

He watches pairs exchange longing looks, sees their desire to hold and to be held in this time of such high tension. With every fidget of hands he notices, the closer to wire his muscles become.

 

Daichi calls them to their feet, and everyone is happier for it. He runs them through the usual warm up drills, but today everyone is different. The desire to win pulses in each and every one of them, a common heartbeat thudding the rhythm of victory. They jump higher, hit harder, each one with laser focus on the game they're about to play.

 

Hinata notices how everyone's eyes dart around more, flicking towards the competition warming up on the opposite side of the gym. He purposefully keeps his gaze off of them, knowing that to take his eyes off his teammate's was to lose the match before it even started.

 

He hears no buzzing, no dull murmur in his ears soothing him. He feels the whistle's shrill screech in his bones before his teammates can tell him that it sounded.

 

Just like that, they're lining up. They bow. Hinata's eyes meet Oikawa's. Neither looks away for a long moment.  Hinata deliberately reaches up to his ear and tucks a strand of hair behind it. The movement makes Oikawa avert his gaze to his team, masking his guilt with the confidence of a leader.

 

They get into starting positions.

 

It's all a blur to Hinata, only certain actions sticking out in his mind. When he first slams down a spike on the other side of the court that Kageyama set to him, their killer quick. He won't ever forget the look on the pretty captain's face: first shock, then settling into the inevitable fire, which promises a challenging match.

 

He distinctly remembers jumping up for the ball and swinging with everything he had, channeling every ounce of energy in his high strung body into hitting his target. He screamed with exertion, not that he cared. But, the same shocked faces appeared on his competition's faces as the ball whizzed past their frozen bodies. If they thought playing against a flying deaf shrimp was going to be easy, they'd better think again.

 

In the end, it was inevitable. The genius setter combined with the hyper focused flying spiker were bound to win. And they did.

 

At first, they didn't believe it. They'd volleyed against Seijou and kept it up until they thought they'd drop like flies. They powered through their exhaustion and performed one last quick, a normal one, all Kageyama could muster in his now steady fingers and too tired arms. Hinata hit it with another scream and fell onto the court, absolutely spent.

 

He didn't get to see it hit the other side of the court. But he could feel the roar of the crowd and his team as they surged in around him. He was on his feet, though he didn't know how he got up, but then again it didn't really matter. He looked around to see Daichi clutching Suga's face and kissing him hard, once. Suga only pushed his face away and laughed lightly, a promise of more to come later.

 

In a flurry of hands and jerseys and hollers, Hinata found Kageyama across the court. He smiled wider and brighter than ever and let out a laugh that set Kageyama's chest on fire. Hinata ran to him (more like pushed through the seething mob of people to him) with such unbridled excitement and joy Kageyama thought he might burst into flames at the pure sight of it.

 

When Hinata finally got to him, he reached up and grabbed Kageyama's head, tugging him down to his height. He said to Kageyama, in a clearer voice than he'd ever heard come out of the spiker, _"Thank you."_ It was whispered with such sincerity and something more that Kageyama couldn't stop the chills that ran up his arms.

 

Hinata released his grip on Kageyama's head, but he didn't stand back up to his full height as expected. He stayed hunched over and turned to look at Hinata. Their faces were only an inch apart, heat rolling off both of them in waves and crashing together to form something wild and beautiful.

 

They were two stationary rocks in a sea of moving, cheering people. They stared into each other's eyes. They were both acutely aware of the mingling of their breaths in their private space.

 

But, this was not the time or the place. Maybe it never would be. Hinata stepped back into the crowd, getting swallowed up by the movement and laughter and celebration. Kageyama stepped back, just a bit more space between him and Hinata, a little more space to think clear thoughts and feel something besides desire and an overwhelming urge to protect.

 

The teams bowed again and back to the buses they went. For Hinata, back to the bathroom he went. Again, he relieved himself, washed his hands, but this time he stood looking in the mirror. He stared at his reflection. He turned his head to the side so he could get a better view of his ears. _I'm not broken, I'm special. Not broken, just special._ He repeated the mantra in his head that his mother had told him when he was younger.

 

No sweet words could stop the doubt he was feeling, though. _Kageyama couldn't like me. It was only a fluke._ He tugged on his ear, trying in vain to open it further. _I'm just something to protect to him._ But another inner voice fought to be heard in the chaos of his thoughts.

 

 _What if there's something more?_ His heart fluttered in his already aching chest. _What if he really does like you?_ His breath hitched. _What if he feels the same-_

Kageyama stepped into the bathroom. He saw Hinata standing in front of the running sink, looking stricken and holding his ear.

 

They just looked at each other's reflections, both boys too scared to make a move. If they moved, the spell would break and they'd go back to being two sweaty players that just won a volleyball match. The air between them stilled, no sound escaped either of their lips.

 

Scenarios of how this scene could play out flashed behind their eyes. Kageyama imagined getting yelled at or hugged or maybe both. Hinata saw rejection after rejection, each rendition more hurtful than the last. Their minds tore themselves apart in the space of ten seconds.

 

But all spells break sooner or later. Hinata released his ear and sent a smile gentler than Kageyama had ever seen in his direction. _We sure showed Oikawa, huh?_ Hinata signed with a bit of uncertainty.

 

Kageyama nodded and his lips turned upwards just the slightest bit, all tenderness and admiration. _I can't believe you made it throughthat last set. You looked like you were going to pass out._ He mentally patted his back due to his now not shaky hands.

 

That didn't last long, though.

 

_What? You think I can't handle myself on the court? Is that it Bakayama?!_

_No, you idiot! Can't I compliment you without you taking it like an ass?_

_Don't you call me an ass, dumbass!!_

_Don't use ass twice in the same sentence idiot!_

You can imagine the look of simultaneous comfort and annoyance that graced Daichi's face as he walked into the small restroom. Both boys froze at the sight of their captain. They paused then started signing at light speed, trying to explain themselves to a sign language novice, on a good day.

 

He held up a hand to stop them both. He gave them a stern look just to scare them, then ruffled both their heads and sent them to the bus. Daichi laughed to himself and went on with his business.

 

Back on the bus, Suga was watching over excited yet exhausted young players. He smiled at the sight of Kageyama and Hinata bounding towards him signing furiously to each other.

 

He waved a greeting as they boarded, but Hinata didn't go to the back with Kageyama as he expected. Instead, Hinata told Kageyama to hold his spot for a little bit as he sat down next to Suga.

 

Suga was not the best at sign language. He could understand more than he could sign himself, but that seemed to be getting him by fine so far. Now he was regretting not learning more from his excitable kouhai.

 

Nevertheless, he smiled warmly at Hinata as he sat down. Much to Suga's relief, Hinata fished out a pen and pad of paper from his back, already with a few notes hastily scribbled on it. When Suga couldn't find the sign or Hinata couldn't convey his message clearly, they'd write down what they needed to say.

 

Suga didn't expect Hinata's question right out of the gate to be _Do you like Daichi?_

 

The older boy felt his cheeks pink and his face take on a look of slight shock in response to Hinata's question, which seemed to be enough of an answer. Hinata simply smiled and nodded.

 

_How did you know he liked you back?_

Ah. So _that's_ what this was about. Suga had seen the looks exchanged and the secret smiles shared by Kageyama and Hinata over the past few months of training. He knew what they meant and that the feelings were reciprocated, but he couldn't just tell Hinata outright.

 

"Well I suppose I just saw it in his eyes. Whenever he saw me, his eyes would light up before he could tell his brain to stop them." At this Suga smiled a bit gentler. "And, he treated me like I was fragile. Like I'd break at any moment. As if I were some priceless vase on a high shelf...did you get all that?"

 

Hinata nodded and looked away from Suga's now still lips. His superior allowed him to mull over what he'd just revealed, knowing that he'd struck a cord.

 

Hinata wrote down what he said next. _Do you think he likes me?_

Suga took the paper and pen. _I think you need to ask him that._

Hinata sucked in a breath and nodded again, this time more firmly. He stood up and took his leave of Suga's seat, not before bowing and thanking him profusely, though. He walked to the back of the bus, losing his confidence with each step.

 

But, when he saw a peaceful sleeping Kageyama, he couldn't help but smile. He sat down beside his snoozing companion and gently laid his head on Kageyama's shoulder, being careful not to disturb him.

 

In the quietest voice he could manage, he mumbled into Kageyama's shoulder, _"I like you."_

His breathing stayed even and serene, blissfully unaware of the realization Hinata had just experienced.

 

 _I'll tell him when he wakes up. Definitely._ Definitely not. When Kageyama woke up, it was to a small wet spot on his shirt where Hinata had definitely drooled on him in his sleep. He was still asleep, lightly snoring and still leaning on Kageyama's shoulder.

 

Before he could stop himself, Kageyama snaked his hand slowly out from under his friend and linked his pinky with Hinata's. _I won't let anything hurt you,_ Kageyama again vowed to Hinata silently.

 

A few minutes later, Hinata's head was in Kageyama's lap and Kageyama was curled over him slightly, protecting his companion even in slumber.

 

Nobody had the heart to wake them up until the bus was completely empty. They blushed and stuttered, but neither were sorry for the positions they were in. They both silently hoped for another bus ride. Soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO THERE YOU GO. I'm thinking that this will be done in a few chapters so now starts the countdown. If anyone reading is good at the artsy type stuff pls contact me :3  
> I have a tumblr (wolfenshire.tumblr.com)  
> as does my lovely beta reader and editor (queenanimetrash.tumblr.com)  
> feel free to come scream at me for any other fics you want in this au or otherwise!  
> until next time *sinks into the floor*


	5. The Blaze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In his blind excitement, Hinata splashed Kageyama. Big mistake. He was greeted with the most terrifying smile he'd ever seen on a stunning face accompanied by a now wet, muscular, tall teenage boy. He knew then he was in for a world of trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I know there are no excuses for not posting for so long, but I'll offer some anyway.  
> The last few weeks have involved a good deal of emotional and physical exertion. Mostly emotional.  
> I've had two huge projects that took up a bunch of time.  
> Anyway, I'm back! This time with volleygays at the beach!!  
> Forgive me and please enjoy this slightly longer chapter...

The next week, the team was piled onto the bus again, but not for a competition. They were having a beach trip.

Daichi thought they all needed a break from the craziness of competing, and he wasn't wrong. Soon, all twelve boys, their managers and teachers clambered noisily onto the bus on a Friday, not to come back until Sunday.

The team had figured out their general seating pattern during their last bus ride, so they all returned to those spots. The arrangement surprised no one. Noya practically dragged Asahi to their seat behind Daichi and Suga's in the front of the bus. Ennoshita took the pacifist route, calmly taking a very flustered and red Tanaka's hand and leading him to the last seat of the bus. Tsukishima stalked to the seat across from theirs, knowing it would be slightly quieter due to Ennoshita's soothing effect on Tanaka. Yamaguchi trailed behind him.

Kageyama and Hinata sat two seats in front of Tanaka and Ennoshita, while Yachi and Kiyoko sat in the front seats of their side. Kinoshita and Narita sat behind Asahi and Nishinoya. They wanted some in-home entertainment while they rode the bus.

As rambunctious and loud as teenage boys can be, they are just as tired when it comes down to it. Soon enough, arms were nonchalantly draped over shoulders, heads were lain in laps and the sounds of soft snoring were heard from six sets of boys. The way each pair had fallen asleep seemed to say something about them. For example, Yamgauchi was holding onto Tsukishima's arm and leaning his head on his shoulder while Tsukki listened to music. Tanaka's head was in Ennoshita's lap while Ennoshita's arm was draped across his waist.

They slept for the majority of the hours long drive to the beach. Then, someone caught the faintest whiff of salt water on the wind and they squawked loud enough to wake the rest of the team. Nobody guessed it was Hinata.

Once they all blinked the lingering dregs of slumber from their eyes, they looked out the windows and the sight of the endless blue ocean took the breath from all of them. That didn't last long, though, as soon enough someone yelled in excitement and everyone else followed suit. 

The bus parked and out ran most of the boys. They’d all shed their clothes and thrown them to the side in their haste to jump in the water. They also forgot to test out how cold it was before they all jumped in and subsequently screamed in unison at the shocking temperature. From the back of the group, Tsukishima snickered at their idiocy and Yamaguchi jumped out of the water to hug him, much to his dismay.

In his blind excitement, Hinata splashed Kageyama. Big mistake. He was greeted with the most terrifying smile he'd ever seen on a stunning face accompanied by a now wet, muscular, tall teenage boy. He knew then he was in for a world of trouble. Kageyama splashed him back harder, some of which got on Suga, who sweetly kicked water at Daichi. Soon enough, the entire team was splashing each other.

Noya decided playing chicken was a good idea and climbed onto his very reluctant, but decidedly tall, partner’s shoulders. Tanaka joined in his antics and climbed onto Ennoshita's shoulders. The boyfriends of the rambunctious pair dealt with them by holding a civilized conversation down in the waves while a war waged on their shoulders.

Daichi decided he had a death wish. He snuck up behind Suga and grabbed him by the waist before he dove underwater with him. They both came up sputtering and laughing a moment later, Suga hitting Daichi not so light-heartedly on the shoulder. Hinata and Kageyama saw all this going on around them and suddenly didn't know what to do with each other. Before either could internally freak out, Daichi loudly announced that everyone was to leave the water and put on sunscreen before they burnt to a crisp.

Kageyama interpreted it for Hinata, who nodded with an oddly innocent smile. Just as they both turned to walk back to the blankets Kiyoko and Yachi had set up, Hinata smacked Kageyama's shoulder and signed,  _ Race you back!!  _ and proceeded to sprint out of the water as fast as he could. Kageyama had a moment of shock, then yelled curses as he struggled through the water to catch up to his smaller counterpart.

By the time they got to collection of blankets and towels, their legs were coated in sand and they were both panting from exertion. Running through sand, they discovered, was much more difficult than expected. Hinata took a tube of sunscreen from a mischievously grinning Yachi and threw her a tiny glare. She only giggled and proceeded to give sunblock to the rest of the team.

Before Kageyama could protest, Hinata squeezed out a large blob of sunblock and slapped it on his back. He started to spread it around the taller boy's broad shoulders but didn't get the fight he expected. Instead, Kageyama resisted his urge to fight off Hinata and allowed him to run his hands over his back.

Hinata spread sunscreen on Kageyama's shoulders, back, arms and even his chest. They both knew it was unnecessary. They both were completely fine with it.

After Hinata was done, he took a step back and smiled brightly.  _ Voila! My masterpiece is complete!  _ he signed with no small amount of enthusiasm. Kageyama just snorted a laugh and squeezed a blob of sunscreen onto his palm. He figured it was only fair to return the favor to Hinata, right?

Instead of getting Hinata's back first, Kageyama decided to rub his hands together then start in on his face. He gently rubbed the lotion across Hinata's rose-colored cheeks and along his jawline. He spread the sunscreen over his eyes, the tips of his ears, under his chin and all over his neck. Kageyama felt Hinata's Adam's apple bob in response to his touch.

When he was done with Hinata's face, he squeezed out more sunscreen and spread it along Hinata's back. He took careful notice of the way his shoulder blades jutted out from his skeleton, the exact curvature of his lower back, just how pale and soft his skin was. Hinata took note of the expression on Kageyama's face. It was as if protecting Hinata from UV rays was a religious experience.

After he was sufficiently coated in SPF 50, Hinata turned around to face Kageyama. He put his fingertips to his chin then towards Kageyama, a very sincere and meaningful  _ thank you.  _ In their sunscreen induced rapture, Kageyama and Hinata failed to take notice of the entire team going back into the water. They looked at each other, smiled mischievously and started sprinting to the water. Apparently they hadn’t learned their lesson the first time.

Hinata dove in head first as soon as he reached the ocean. He was under for a few moments in which Kageyama totally didn't panic. Not a bit. But, he resurfaced with a bright grin spread across his face and laughter tinkling in his voice. Kageyama watched in awe for a second, just before the ocean sent a wave onto the beach, tripping up the poor boy.

The team stopped for a second...then proceeded to laugh their evil asses off. Kageyama stood up unscathed, grumpy, and completely soaking wet. In retaliation, he ran into the water, jumped as high as he could, and belly-flopped with all his might, effectively sending a splash out in every direction. When he came up from underwater, he was greeted with more laughing, this time at his reaction rather than his inability to stand in place.

The water games started soon after that, another round of chicken and more surprise dunking. Any time a larger wave would come along, the whole team would stop their tomfoolery and body surf it. Daichi only ordered them out of the water once to reapply their sunscreen. The team moaned and groaned but who could blame the captain? Suga's shoulders were starting to look pink...

After a few hours of going in and out of the water, the volleyball team was effectively tired out. They retired onto the wide expanse pair by pair. Surprisingly, Ennoshita and Tanaka were the first pair out. Unsurprisingly, Hinata and Kageyama were the last. When they dragged their drenched bodies back to the collection of blankets and towels, they flopped onto one together.

They napped under a beach umbrella, courtesy of the lovely managers, until their dual sense of inhuman smell roused them from their light sleep. The two practically floated toward the barbecue Ukai was manning. Despite the hunger gnawing at their stomachs, they managed to wait in the sloppy line to get their share of delicious grilled vegetables and pork.

After the team was done eating, they gradually broke apart. Daichi and Suga were seen shortly after sitting close to the water, the now calm water lapping at their entwined legs. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were under the roof of the patio on the small cabin Ukai had rented for the night.

Tanaka and Ennoshita were the farthest away from the group. Ennoshita had a content smile on his face lying next to his volatile partner. Tanaka was staring intently at Ennoshita's face. A warmth always seemed to spread in his chest when he looked at Ennoshita. He was gentle and sweet.  _ God I'm lucky,  _ thought Tanaka as he leaned over and kissed Ennoshita's cheek. The latter looked over in pleasant surprise.

His content smile turned to one of admiration and adoration for his partner. He leaned right back over and kissed Tanaka on the mouth softly.  _ It's funny,  _ he thought.  _ Everyone seems to think Ryuu is so angry all the time. They should see him when he's alone.  _ The kiss didn't last long and wasn't very heated, but it conveyed the message. Tanaka cradled his partner's face in his hands and just breathed.

The two reveled in their private space for a long moment. Ennoshita broke the spell first, taking Ryuu's hands off his face. Instead he took one of them and intertwined their fingers. Then, he gently tugged Tanaka down with him. They laid down together under the blooming stars, their hands clasped between their bodies. They leaned their heads together and gazed at the night sky. Tanaka had only one thought at that moment.  _ I'll do anything to protect him. _

On the other side of the beach, Kageyama and Hinata sat up on their beach blanket. They both noticed how lovely the colors the setting sun cast on the other's face. Hinata had a thought.  _ This boy has good hands. But he doesn't know how to use them properly.  _ So, he set out on his quest to teach Kageyama how to properly sign.

Hinata would finger spell a word or speak it audibly and Kageyama would give him the sign for it, a quiz of sorts. Whenever Kageyama would incorrectly sign a word, Hinata would grab his hands and sculpt them into the right positions. Sometimes he had to wait a moment before correcting Kageyama, though, as some of his blunders were quite hilarious. A few times he had Hinata doubled over in laughter. (A notable example was Kageyama signing  _ I'm horny  _ instead of  _ I understand _ .)

After a little while, Hinata ran out of quizzing material and decided to try his hands at teaching. He'd speak a word aloud in the clearest Japanese he could manage, then sign it slowly for Kageyama. Most of the time, he'd imitate the sign perfectly. But, every so often he'd miss a small flutter of the fingers or flick of the wrist and end up signing something completely different.  _ No wonder he preferred doing this by himself,  _ thought an amused Hinata.

After Hinata felt he'd expanded Kageyama's vocabulary enough, they just started talking. Well, conversing.

_ So, how come you don't speak often?  _ Kageyama tentatively asked.

Hinata didn't deflate as he expected. Instead, he looked thoughtful.  _ I guess it's because my voice isn't my language. It never has been. My hands are my language. Think about it!  _ He adjusted his posture so he was sitting cross-legged facing Kageyama head on.  _ If you took a trip to...um...Germany! You'd learn the language right?  _ A tentative nod from Kageyama.  _ But, you'd seek out every opportunity you could find to speak in Japanese. Those moments would be rare, but you'd relish them all the more. _

Kageyama was speechless. And motionless. All the same to Hinata. After he thought about Hinata's speech for a while, he finally formulated a response.  _ I know what you're saying. But, if you went there you'd want to-  _ He stopped signing when he saw Hinata's searching gaze.

"I can't see your hands anymore..." he said. His eyes could see Kageyama's eyes but not his hands. The sun had waved its final goodbye for the day in the form of sweeping golds and reds across the sky, leaving dark blues and indigos in its wake. The moon hadn't risen yet. This was the time of the night worst for seeing who you're talking to and best for seeing the heavens.

Kageyama couldn't see much of Hinata anymore either. But he could hear his breathing quicken a little bit. Before he could properly react, he reached out and grabbed Hinata's hand. He heard his breath catch. "What are you doing?" Hinata asked aloud.

_ I'm talking to you,  _ Kageyama signed into his palm in response.

"You're really in for it now." Kageyama heard some evil trickery in Hinata's voice.

_ What do you mean?  _ Kageyama pressed into Hinata's hand.

"It's time for the super quiz!" Hinata laughed through his words. Kageyama in turn took Hinata's hand and face palmed his own forehead, which only made Hinata laugh harder.

Hinata would say a word aloud and Kageyama would use Hinata's hands to make the sign for it. It was a weird sort of backwards ventriloquism, where the dummy was controlling the master.

Kageyama was much more careful with his signing this time around. He gently guided Hinata's hands through the motions, not wanting to be short and quick like his own hands worked. Despite him getting a few signs wrong here and there, Hinata didn't lay into him as much for his mistakes. He could feel the fragile atmosphere they had created.

After they went through the new signs twice, Hinata tugged his hand away from Kageyama's and pressed it ever so gently to Kageyama's throat. When he made a surprised noise, Hinata giggled a little bit.

"I've always been curious to see what that feels like. Could you just talk to me?...Sign into this hand-" Hinata held up the hand not on Kageyama's throat, "and speak with your voice..."

Kageyama couldn't possibly say no. He cleared his throat once. Twice. "Um...I'm speaking...out loud...uh..." He looked to Hinata for a response. But, there was no giggling or chiding. Hinata was completely enraptured by Kageyama's voice.

Kageyama spoke more confidently this time. "I'm curious to know how this feels to you." He felt his companion shiver slightly. Hinata just muttered something unintelligible. Hinata's head was spinning. He'd always loved vibrations, especially those made by people. Once, he convinced Yachi to sing for him as he held his fingertips to her tiny throat and he almost cried. The feeling of sound against his hands, especially sound created by  _ Kageyama, _ was tearing him apart in the best way.

"Can you understand what I'm saying by only my voice?" Kageyama said and signed. Hinata shook his head, which Kageyama could barely make out in the dark.

He braced himself. "I really like you Hinata. And it pisses me off." He signed nothing into Hinata's waiting palm. When it became apparent he wasn't going to, Hinata asked aloud,

"What did you say?"

_...I said you're such a dumbass. _

"Hey! Bakageyama!" Hinata laughed and tackled Kageyama. Not expecting the sudden attack, Kageyama was pushed back and then there was a Hinata on top of him. He didn't mind. Hinata was lying with his stomach on Kageyama's and his head on his chest, looking up at a face he could barely see.

He grabbed Kageyama's hand without a fight. He raised the hand to the chin it belonged to then down towards Hinata.  _ Thank you. _

Kageyama smiled. Hinata was still holding onto his wrist.  _ You're welcome. _

Eventually, Hinata rolled off of Kageyama in favor of looking up. They watched in silence as the stars danced across the clear night sky. Kageyama listened to the gentle shushing of the ocean and the flow of Hinata's breathing. Hinata felt Kageyama's pulse tapping out a rhythm against his fingertips.

In the space between wakefulness and sleep, fingers wrapped around a wrist became fingers intertwined together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the lead up to the glorious confession is now underway!  
> I hope to be posting weekly again soon, but with my last year of school ending soon I can't promise much of anything.  
> Show some love to my tumblr [here](http://wolfenshire.tumblr.com/)  
> and show some love to my beautiful beta who listens to all my whiny bullshit [here](http://queenanimetrash.tumblr.com/)  
> AND now a beautiful amazing artist made some absolutely [adorable art](http://meghanwoodvale.tumblr.com/post/145494236071/fanart-for-the-new-chapter-of-the-beautiful)


	6. The Inferno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kageyama blushes a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it only took me 3 months to update!! be proud normally i don't update at all haha... regardless of my inability to produce work on a regular basis, i hope you enjoy this chapter.

Hinata woke up to the light behind his eyelids. In opening his eyes, he saw the sky no longer lit up with infinite specks of light, but a grayish-blue swatch growing brighter. He was about to push himself up to sitting when he became aware of where his hands were.

One hand was underneath his head as a sort of makeshift pillow. The other hand was clutching Kageyama’s. Hinata also realized at that moment that someone had draped a Karasuno jacket over both of them in the night. He smiled.

Slowly, he untwined his hand from Kageyama’s and pushed himself up. He sat silently, feeling the sea breeze on his face, the moisture on the back of his clothes from sleeping on sand. He closed his eyes and inhaled the salty air wafting off of the ocean. He shivered as goosebumps ran down his arms. _Jeez, the ocean sure is cold in the morning_ … he thought to himself.

He jumped slightly at the feeling of warm hands draping a jacket over his back. He looked over to find a sleepy Kageyama sitting up. His eyes were half-lidded and still puffy. They both looked forward to the sunrise blooming in front of them.

There were no words to be said or signed. Kageyama heard others slowly waking up around them, but didn’t tell his silent companion. He didn’t want to shatter the fragile moment they were experiencing. They watched as the sky turned from gray to a pale blue to pink to orange. They were both awestruck by the sheer beauty of it. It’s one thing to see a picture of a sunrise. It’s entirely different to !!!!!experience it.

When the sun started to sneaking its way over the horizon, Hinata laid his head on Kageyama’s shoulder. Again, neither said anything, only watched the sky paint itself to life. Hinata wriggled his feet into the damp sand with satisfaction. It wasn’t every day he got to feel the refreshing sensation between his toes.

The two sat there for a long while, each too afraid to make a move. Hinata broke the stillness, as he usually did. He lifted his head off of Kageyama’s shoulder and shifted his body to face him. Kageyama mirrored his movement. They sat watching each other once more, the exact positions from the night before.

Hinata looked down at Kageyama’s hands.

 _Close your eyes_ , Hinata signed slowly.

Kageyama wrinkled his nose. _Why?_

 _Because I said so. Close your eyes and feel my hands_.

Kageyama reluctantly closed his eyes and placed his long fingers over Hinata’s. For a long time, neither moved. Kageyama kept his eyes closed and Hinata thought about how to go about his plan exactly. He eventually decided _Fuck it_ and began to sign.

Kageyama almost jumped at the sudden movement from Hinata, but remained attentive. He felt Hinata’s hands move slowly up to his chest and extend a single finger toward himself. _I…_

Hinata then drew his middle finger and thumb towards each other whilst pulling his hand away from himself. _Like…_

Hinata pointed his index finger toward Kageyama with finality. _You._

_I like you._

Kageyama’s eyes shot open, but one hand over them from Hinata kept him in the dark. He closed them once more and Hinata slowly removed his hand.

Kageyama was absolutely stunned. This little ball of joy and energy both trusted him completely _and_ liked him?  _What did I do deserve this?_

Just as he opened his eyes once more with a smile beginning to spread over his cheeks, he found himself alone, greeted with only the sight of Hinata’s retreating back. His smile fell and he called out Hinata’s name. _Shit, he can’t hear me…_

He stood up and took not even two steps towards Hinata before Tanaka stumbled over to him in the sand and patted his back. He started making suggestive comments and jabs, as Tanaka is wont to do, but they all went in one ear and out the other for Kageyama. His mind was racing over every possible way he could tell Hinata his feelings were reciprocated. He couldn’t just go up to him and confess…it was too late for that…and he had to do it better than Hinata.

_I have to make this up to him…_

Kageyama was silent for the rest of the day at the beach, which was not particularly long. He was lost in his own thoughts centered on showing Hinata his feelings.

He helped pack up the now damp towels and sandy umbrellas and loaded them onto the bus. Kageyama was also completely unaware of his scowling face the whole time he was doing it. To Hinata, Kageyama looked absolutely pissed that he’d confessed. He was honestly afraid that Kageyama would never speak to him again.

When they boarded the bus, Kageyama only sat down in his usual seat with a huff and a scowl at the seat in front of him. Hinata was too ashamed to sit next to him and instead sat in the back next to Tanaka. If it weren't for him, Hinata would have sat the whole way back in silence. Tanaka continued to sign to him and make him laugh, successfully distracting him from his bad mood.

Ennoshita also seemed to be enjoying Ryuu’s antics as well. He’d been attempting sign language since Hinata joined the team. His…close relationship to Ryuu also helped in his learning process. By now, he could understand most of what Tanaka signed and some of what Hinata signed. He signed as fast as he ran.

After the hours long ride back to their little hometown, Kageyama had devised a plan. But he had to wait for the team’s first practice game in their own gymnasium to execute it. And he needed help.

Kageyama knew just who to employ for the task at hand.

Luckily enough for Kageyama, he did not have to wait for very long for a practice match to be played. One was scheduled for the day after the team got back from their mini-vacation. He had to swear Yachi to secrecy about his plan. He knew she loved Hinata enough to stay silent about something as important as this was.

She hated secrets. Hated having them, keeping them, or even knowing they existed in someone else. Keeping a secret from her best friend in the world should be easy, right? _….right??_

During school the next day, Hitoka did all she could to avoid speaking to Hinata. She told him she was too tired to tutor him during their lunch period. She sprinted out of her classes after each period to avoid running into him. Poor Hitoka was hopeless, but helpful.

Hinata would have normally noticed his friend’s weirdness, but he was lost in his own thoughts. He spaced out in every one of his classes, choosing to stare out the window or blankly gaze at the chalkboard. The only thought his sluggish brain focused on was _Kageyama doesn't like me…_

The extra pep in his step he got from thinking about volleyball practice was greatly diminished. He shuffled his way to the gym but brightened upon Tanaka’s dramatic signing of _What’s up?!!_

Shouyou kept his focus on Tanaka’s twitchy form as the team changed into their uniforms, diligently ignoring his anxious crush.

Hinata was definitely dramatic, but was never one to mope. Not for too long, anyway. Every player in the gym jumped at the guttural roar Hinata sounded when he sent his first spike sailing down over the net. He landed hard on his feet, looking around at his teammates with eyes aflame.

Kageyama was on the verge of feeling physical pain at seeing Hinata’s unbridled fervor. He was also in very real physical pain due to his impulsive need to match Hinata in anything resembling a competition or game. Tobio put all his frustration and ache aside for the moment, though, and put the second of two phases of his stage into motion. The first being telling all the necessary people about it.

One of those understanding and more than slightly amused people was Daichi, who was more than happy to help Kageyama and Hinata get together. Especially if it meant not receiving any more of Hinata’s anger spikes. His arm strength was not to be questioned, but even he had a limit.

Daichi waved his hands around, effectively catching the redhead’s attention. _Go change. You’ve worked hard enough for one day,_ he signed brokenly with a smile.

For once, Hinata didn’t fight it. He only thanked Daichi and walked up to the locker room. He was too exhausted, emotionally and physically, to notice that nobody else came up to change, not even the upperclassmen.

Once Kageyama heard the locker room door slide closed, he and all his teammates scrambled to pick up all the volleyballs and get them into place. Yamaguchi jogged into the broom closet and picked up the single orange flower Kageyama had put aside before they all started practice. He handed it off to a practical vibrating Tobio, who was looking at the volleyballs nervously.

Hinata could be dense, but denseness only lasted so long in an empty locker room that was usually crowded. As soon as Kageyama heard the door slide open, he frantically gestured with his hands and hissed for his teammates to shush. Until he mentally face palmed when he realized Hinata couldn't hear his team’s grumbling anyway.

Regardless, he stood as confidently as he could beside his glorious creation with his single flower. Hinata stepped up to the railing and looked down with a confused expression at the gym floor. That expression quickly turned to one of shock as he read, spelled out entirely in volleyballs, _I like you too._ And standing next to them holding a flower, completely red from head to toe, was Kageyama.

Kageyama’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest when Hinata let out a gleeful whoop and ran down the stairs into his waiting arms. Their embrace was, at first, an awkward attempt at getting their limbs to find a good place on each other. Once they got past it, they squeezed as tightly as their fatigued muscles would allow them.

Kageyama sneakily stuck his face into Hinata’s hair and inhaled the smell of the sun. And sweat. Hinata turned his head and press his cheek into Kageyama’s torso allowing him to hug him even tighter.

Kageyama was a patient guy, but he kinda wanted to lock down the cutie he was hugging. He tried to pull away and did not succeed at first. Hinata clung to him as if he’d never get the chance to do so again. At Kageyama’s gentle pushing and prodding, he did finally detach himself.

He offered the small, semi-crushed flower to Hinata with one hand and signed with he other, _Will you be my boyfriend?_

Hinata responded by nodding his head vigorously and ripping the flower out of his boyfriend’s- _boyfriend’s!_ \- hand. And then hugging him again. He felt a low rumble and more rapid breathing in Kageyama’s chest. He was laughing. But, he was hugging him back. All was well with the world.

All of Karasuno, but especially Yachi, cheered when the two hugged for the second time. She’d successfully kept in a secret for a total of twenty six hours. Oh, and her best friend in the world was finally with the guy he was pining for. Two victories in one day!

When Shouyou finally had enough sweaty hugging, he pulled back and jumped up to Kageyama’s height to plant a chaste kiss on his lips. They both turned bright red, but Tobio quickly grabbed Hinata just a little too hard on his cheeks and smushed their lips together. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried his best to make it enjoyable for them both.

Hinata was shocked at first, but adjusted quickly by wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s neck and gently pressing his body against Kageyama’s. They broke apart at Tanaka’s particularly spirited slapping of both their backs.

The whole team smiled and cheered for them, even Tsukishima. Though, he looked more annoyed at himself for smiling than anything else. Karasuno offered their congratulations to the new couple and cleaned up the volleyballs. Daichi let Tobio and Hinata off easy, allowing them to go change early.

The two were smiling from ear to ear, despite Hinata laughing at how Tobio looked like a serial killer. They changed with their backs to each other, embarrassed at the lack of clothes and the addition of a romantic element to the locker room.

Out at the bike rack, they stared at each other with pink cheeks for a while before finally laughing at their own awkwardness. Kageyama wrapped his arms around Hinata’s small waist and gently tugged him closer. He leaned down cautiously, Hinata eagerly meeting him halfway for a slow and passionate kiss. Their lips moved smoothly against one another. Hinata pressed closer at the feeling of Kageyama gripping his jacket tighter. Kageyama shivered when he felt Hinata’s stubby nails scrape the back of his neck.

They gradually separated, still in each other’s space. Kageyama smiled, this upturn of his slightly swollen lips more small and thoughtful rather than big and joyful. He leaned down once more, this time kissing Hinata’s forehead delicately. He slowly untwined himself from Hinata’s arms and turned towards his bike.

When he turned back, Hinata was gripping his own bike’s handlebars and looking to Tobio expectantly. He leaned the frame of his bike in his hip and brought his hands up. _Text me tonight?_ he signed expectantly. Tobio could only nod and ignore the heat rising in his cheeks. Hinata smiled bigger and nodded back.

Kageyama watched his retreating back, noticing Hinata was pumping his legs harder than usual. He smiled to himself and climbed on his bike. The whole way home, he was oblivious to the slight bite of the night wind and the fatigue in his muscles. All he could think of was Hinata.

That night, he texted with his new boyfriend until the early hours of the morning, only falling asleep due to the fact that he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He didn't care. The smile Hinata graced him with the next morning was worth a thousand words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO! the last chapter is the epilogue? i think that's what it's called? basically a day in the life of this fluffy beautiful couple. Please give me some feedback on what kind of stuff you want to see! I could fast forward to college years or third year or whatever! let me know what you want and imma write it.  
> As always, thank you to [my lovely artistic creator](http://toastchild.tumblr.com) for making [some beautiful art.](http://wolfenshire.tumblr.com/post/153328784628/holy-crap-my-beautiful-friend-toastchild-has)  
> Visit my [tumblr](http://wolfenshire.tumblr.com) to yell at me or kick my ass into updating! :D


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